Read Online Bearly Breathing (Alpha Werebear Shifter Paranormal Romance) by Lynn Red - Free Book Online Page A

angst I thought I’d managed to sweat out. I guess I made it a little more apparent than I meant to, because Dean’s reaction was to frown.
    “Oh Jesus,” he said. “I boned that up, didn’t I?”
    “No, no,” I said, forcing a smile. “I just don’t really understand what’s going on, to be honest with you. The first time I laid eyes on him, I got that little swell in my guts, but... I just don’t know.”
    “What’s not to know?” Malia asked, leaning forward to catch my attention. “I know it’s not my place, but...”
    I grinned.
    “Yeah all right, fine, I know I think everything is my place. So shoot me. Anyway, you and Dean have known each other forever, but—”
    “Uh, since we were fifteen, babe,” Dean cut in. “That is most certainly not ‘forever’, thank you very much.”
    Malia pursed her lips to suppress a laugh. “Anyways,” she said. “All I know about Liam is what you told me, but the chemistry I saw between you and that bear? That was...” she shuddered. “I kinda wish I still felt like that about Dean.”
    “Hey!” he said, laughing.
    Their disarming play made me feel a little better, but not as much as it should have. It was true, though – I was happy, or at least hopeful. And I’d never felt like this before, but... admitting that to myself? I don’t know, it seemed like a whole step further than I was willing to take. Especially after just one day. That’s it – one short meeting with the guy, and I couldn’t stand thinking about not seeing him again.
    I shook my head, stunned, and staring at the table.
    “I’ve seen that look before,” Malia said. “After I met this jackass, I saw that exact same face staring back at me in the mirror.”
    I swallowed, hard. “I just don’t know,” I said. “After Liam, I...”
    “What did he do? How did he break your spirit so much?”
    The sounds of thunking red plastic cups and laughter at all the other tables, and of Leon the town salamander setting down his fourth beer of lunch, made it feel like the three of us were on an island of angst floating in a sea of good cheer.
    “Oh God,” Malia followed up. “Me and my big, idiot mouth. I’m sorry Clea, I didn’t mean—”
    I shook my head and touched her hand. “No, it’s not like that,” I whispered. “He didn’t do anything, not really. He said some mean shit to me, but then again, I said pretty horrible things to him, too. But the thing that’ll stick with me forever is the way he turned away from me. I’d touch him at night, and he’d recoil. I’d sit by him on the couch while he was watching TV and he’d pull away.”
    She didn’t say anything, but both Malia and Dean were listening intently.
    Swallowing another gulp of water, I continued. “It was... God, it was years like that. We got together, and got married like eight months later. Everything was this big, giant hurricane, you know?”
    “Yeah, I remember,” Dean said. “Crazy.”
    “Crazy’s exactly what it was. We got together, and dated approximately twice before I decided I was in love with him.”
    “You weren’t?” Malia asked.
    “No, I was. I definitely was. But it was the kind of love that you catch, you know? The kind you catch like a cold and then it goes away and you’re left living with your cold. I think it was like that for both of us, but he wouldn’t let me go. I seemed like a trophy or something to him. The cute little lynx you keep at home and don’t touch except when you’re out at a party.”
    Malia’s mouth was a little open, Dean’s was a hard line. He knew all this and, from the look on her face, he’d never betrayed my confidence.
    “I... uh, sorry,” I said, smiling nervously. “I didn’t mean to unload all that.”
    “I’m the one who asked,” Malia said.
    My cheeks were hot. I knew tears were coming soon, and I hated it, I hated feeling weak.
    “If it does any good,” Dean said, grabbing my hand. “From the very beginning, I knew Liam was a